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Toronto Maple Leafs beat Boston Bruins, force Game 7

Maybe it’s time for Leaf Nation to embrace Dion Phaneuf the way they have taken to Phil Kessel.

Both players came into the NHL playoffs carrying baggage, targets for fans frustrated by the team’s perennial lack of success. Both took hits from a legion of critics who said they were overrated, overpaid or not as good as so-and-so on some other team.

Both scored Sunday night as the Leafs beat Boston 2-1, forcing Game 7 on Monday night at the TD Garden.

“It’ll be a big game,” said Kessel. “I think everyone will be recharged for that one.”

The Air Canada Centre crowd has taken to loving Kessel and why not, the way he’s playing. He’s a waterbug on the ice — backchecking, forechecking and creating all kinds of havoc against his former team.

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There were chants of “Thank You Kessel” after he scored the winner in Game 6. There were even “Thank you Seguin” chants — and full marks to the ACC crowd for creativity, giving it back to Boston.

“I had a bit of a grin on my face,” said forward Nazem Kadri when asked about the chants.

Kessel now has three goals. Tyler Seguin — drafted by the Bruins with one of the picks the Leafs sent to Boston for Kessel — has none.

It was the Boston crowd that derided Kessel whenever Seguin scored. Now the tables have turned.

“I’m not talking about it,” Kessel said of the duelling chants. “I think it’s over with now. (Seguin) is a great player. Two teams battling out there. I’m just playing the game and hopefully things happen.”

Kessel’s goal gave the Leafs some breathing room after Phaneuf scored at 1:48 of the third, the first goal of a hard-fought game. The Leafs needed Kessel’s goal even more after Milan Lucic broke James Reimer’s shutout bid with 26 seconds to go.

Phaneuf’s goal was a classic case of the captain joining the rush — at risk of getting caught out of position, which has landed him in trouble with Leaf faithful before.

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This time, he broke up a play between Lucic and David Krejci at the Leaf blue. Phaneuf started the other way, fed Kadri, then bulled his way to the front of the Bruins net to deflect Kadri’s hard wrist shot.

In Game 4 in overtime, he took a risk that backfired, a pinch that went awry and ended up in the Leafs net.

“I didn’t feel good about the outcome of Game 4, but that was a hockey play and tonight was a hockey play, too,” said Phaneuf. “Kadri gets the puck up high. He’s got a lot of skill. I felt, if I go to the front, it gives him a chance to shoot through a screen, and luckily I tipped it.

“That (Game 4 error) wasn’t in my mind right then.”

It’s the risk-reward situation that goes with Phaneuf’s game.

“We know what Dion brings to this room,” said James van Riemsdyk, who picked up two assists. “We love having him on our team. He’s a huge part of our team obviously, a huge leader and a great player.

“He plays a lot of minutes for us and it’s nice to see those guys get a little love from the fans.”

The Leafs pulled off the win without Tyler Bozak. The team’s top centre is out with an upper-body injury, believed to be his shoulder.

“We’ll have an evaluation done on a day-to-day basis,” said Leafs coach Randy Carlyle.

Joe Colborne made his playoffs debut in place of Bozak, and played well in his 15 minutes of action. The Leafs kept Bozak’s injury a secret right up until game time, but Colborne said he knew he’d play after Game 5.

“Randy wanted to throw you guys for a bit of a loop,” said Colborne. “We kept it real quiet. I wasn’t able to tell anyone outside of my parents, and I made them swear they wouldn’t be letting that slip.”

Colborne’s father made the game. His mother did not.

Carlyle told the media after the game he waited “right till warmup” before deciding to scratch Bozak and appeared upset with Colborne for divulging the plan, even though it was after the fact.

“He’s going to learn to shut his . . . ” Carlyle said when informed of the rookie’s comments. “When the coach has something to say, he’ll say it.”

Monday’s winner will play the Capitals or Rangers in the next round. It will be the Leafs’ first Game 7 since beating Ottawa in 2004.

The Leafs have only once come back to win after trailing 3-1 in a best-of-seven series. That was in 1942 to win the Stanley Cup. They were actually down 3-0 in that series. In 2010, the Bruins blew a 3-0 series lead to the Philadelphia Flyers.

“There’s always jitters, no matter how many games you play,” said Phaneuf. “It’s the playoffs. That’s what you play for. We’ve grown as a group and we’re going to continue to grow. That was another stepping stone for us.”

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